Dec 8 Brexit’s dire straits

Brexit is pushing up starting salaries for permanent staff in the UK due to strong demand and skill shortages. And recruitment agencies reported another steep drop in permanent candidate availability during November, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.

The organisation says permanent staff vacancies increased across all sectors last month, with accounting/financial and IT and computing first and second in the rankings.

“Although some hirers are responding by raising starting salaries in an attempt to attract scarce talent, there’s no evidence yet this is leading to pay increases for the wider workforce and those who fail to hire will find themselves in dire straits,” the REC says.

It adds that creating certainty for EU workers already in the UK, such as nurses, warehouse staff and chefs, is vital so that employers can plan ahead. “The government needs to think longer term about how to fill vacancies left by EU workers.”